Extolling Visva Bharati for its inspiring legacy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asked its students to help farmers and artisans in villages adopted by the institution find global markets for their products. He said Guru Rabindranath Tagore had not envisioned the university as a typical educational institution but one that will help Indian culture realise its full potential.

Addressing the convocation of Visva Bharati, the country's oldest central university, Modi said knowledge was not a "still and static but a dynamic concept". "I urge the students and teachers of this inspirational institution to help farmers, artisans living in villages adopted by the institution to find global markets for their products. That will be a step towards building an 'Atmanirbhar' (self-reliant) Bharat," he said.